The new and used truck markets continue to show varying trends.
Preliminary data for March showed a 17% month-over-month increase in Class 8 same-dealer used truck retail sales, according to ACT Research.
ACT Research
“Used truck buyers kept their foot on the pedal in March,” said Steve Tam, vice president at ACT Research.
Sales rose and outperformed typical seasonal trends, which usually showed an increase of 12% increase in March. Auction sales surged 44% month over month, following its usual pattern for the end of the quarter, while wholesale transactions also showed solid growth, rising 23% month over month.
Altogether, ACT Research pegged preliminary sales for March up 28% from February.
“Given the current level of economic and political uncertainty, volumes suggest truckers are taking advantage of available equipment at attractive prices,” Tam said.
Chris Visser, J.D. Power director of specialty vehicles, noted that while new truck sales and orders remain sluggish, the used truck market is gaining momentum, with March data and early April indicators showing continued strength in both sales volumes and pricing.
“This dynamic is most likely due to the continuing pull-ahead in freight, attracting owner-operators and small fleets to trade one-for-one for newer trucks combined with an improved used-truck supply environment,” Visser said.
J.D. Power’s April guidelines market report noted that both auctions and dealer lots saw increases in volume, and prices either held steady or went up slightly.
Volume of the three most common sleeper tractors (3- to 7-Year-Old) sold through the two largest nationwide no-reserve auctionsJ.D. Power
Auction activity picked up during the month, in line with typical seasonal trends. As activity picked up, pricing saw modest gains.
Looking at late-model sleeper tractors, this was J.D. Power’s average pricing in March:
- Model year 2023: $80,263; $1,437 (1.8%) lower than February
- Model year 2022: $59,610; $1,522 (2.6%) higher than February
- Model year 2021: $46,588; $8,248 (21.5%) higher than February
- Model year 2020: $34,489; $2,642 (7.1%) lower than February
- Model year 2019: $28,498; $3,826 (15.5%) higher than February
At auctions in March, 4- to 6-year-old trucks averaged 5.3% higher than in February and were 29.3% above March 2024 levels. Compared to the strong pre-pandemic period of 2018, this segment is now priced 17.9% higher in nominal terms. Relative to the market’s low point in late 2019, prices are up 88.9%.
Five-year-old trucks showed the strongest performance this month. The report noted that it rebounded from two months of unusually low selling prices caused by a less favorable mix of specs and mileage that skewed adjustments. With that recovery, J.D. Power noted that the average depreciation for the year has now evened out.
Prices for sleeper trucks in the retail market rose in March, while daycab prices stayed about the same, according to J.D. Power. The average sleeper tractor sold was a little over 5 years old, had 433,436 miles, and sold for $66,647. Compared to February, the average sleeper was newer and sold for $3,856 (6.1%) more. Compared to the same period last year, the average sleeper was newer, had fewer miles and brought $6,560 (10.9%) more.
Sleeper trucks that are 3 to 5 years old sold for 2.4% more than in February and nearly 26% more than in March last year. Prices in this category have been rising every month since January 2025, and year-over-year comparisons have been positive since December. Compared to early 2019, prices are up over 24%, and compared to late 2019, they’re up 61% in nominal dollars. On average, 3- to 5-year-old trucks have gained 2.7% in value in each month of 2025.
In the daycab segment, prices stayed steady in March compared to February, but were 11.7% less from last year.
“Price stability in this segment is encouraging, but there are still more trucks available than the market demands,” the report said.
